Pakistan Minister Voices Hope for Progress on ROZs Initiative
By Khalida Mazhar 'Pakistan Times' US Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON (US): Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, who met senior American officials in Washington, has voiced a strong hope for progress towards creation of reconstruction opportunity zones in the country as a way to reduce poverty and confront challenges of extremism.

Khan, who had a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez on Tuesday said the US Administration is fully supportive of the initiative, under which certain products from these special zones be exported to the United States without any duty. A legislative action on materializing the ROZs initiative is expected in the American Congress very soon.

“Secretary Gutierrez has assured us of his department’s full support,” the Commerce Minister told APP at the Department of Commerce.

Under the initiative, proposed during President George Bush’s talks with President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad in March 2006, special zones are likely to be established in certain areas along border with Afghanistan, including FATA, the frontier province, areas of Balochistan and earthquake affected areas of Azad Kashmir.

Many products from these zones will enter the United States duty-free.

The top Pakistani trade official, who has also met US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte during his visit, stated the American officials are aware of the fact that economic relationship can play a significant role in furthering broad-based bilateral relationship and also help Pakistan in facing challenges of extremism through improvement in the economic lot of its people.

“Certainly, it is the desire of leadership of both countries to focus on the economic relationship along with the very strong political ties we have.” The United States will also extend financial assistance of 750 million over the next five years to help Pakistan implement its economic development plan in the tribal areas. The US will commit 150 million dollars each year while Pakistan will devote 100 million dollars each year for development of FATA in the next decade.

“That is in the pipeline and we hope that Congress will clear it,” Khan said.

The FATA development plan will focus on realizing infrastructure development including schools, roads, hospitals and possibly industrial zones as well.

Almost 90 per cent of Pakistani exports to the US are textile and apparel and Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar said he would be happy to focus on these areas for bolstering Pakistani exports to the US but added there will be some other areas for ROZs and duty on products will be reduced to zero.

The US Commerce Secretary also is also interested in renewal of bilateral investment treaty negotiations and reaching a positive conclusion on it, Khan added.●